Former Yorkshire coach Jason Gillespie back on international stage for Australia

FORMER Yorkshire coach Jason Gillespie will join the Australia coaching staff as an assistant for February’s Twenty20 series against Sri Lanka.

The f41-year-old, now with the Adelaide Strikers of the Big Bash League, will work alongside Justin Langer, who will serve as the head coach.

The pair are stepping in for Darren Lehmann and assistant David Saker as the three-match series clashes with the Test squad’s tour of India.

It will be a first taste of international cricket for Gillespie, who led Yorkshire from the Second Division to consecutive County Championship titles before leaving at the end of the 2016 season to return to his native Australia.

“I’m just buzzing to get this role – it really is an exciting opportunity – and I’m humbled to be thought of by Cricket Australia in this regard,” said the former Test bowler, who took 259 wickets in 71 Tests and 142 wickets in 97 ODI appearances.

“For me, the chance to be working with Justin Langer is terrific. Of course he’s a friend and a former team-mate, but he’s also someone who’s had success in this form of the game (with two KFC BBL titles with the Perth Scorchers) and if I can learn anything from him and his approach then that would be great.

“I’m there to support and, hopefully, play my part in achieving some positive results for us and that is something that is important because Australia hasn’t had the success any of us would like in Twenty20 cricket. A series like this is the ideal way for us to try and get better and refine our approach.”

Steve Smith scored Australia’s second century of the innings as they took the game to Pakistan on the fourth day of the Boxing Day Test before the weather once again took over at the MCG.

A day after David Warner registered his 17th Test century, Smith did likewise but only one delivery later the players went off for an early tea and did not return.

At the close, Australia were on 465-6, a first innings lead of 22.

New Zealand capitalised to wrap up a a 67-run victory and the series win as Bangladesh hit the self-destruct button in the second one-day international in Nelson.

The hosts had needed an impressive unbeaten century from Neil Broom to spare their own blushes and set Bangladesh a target of 252 for a victory which would have levelled the series.